Big rig hits man riding to work on bike

CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WTVR) – A man without health insurance is hopeful the driver of the semi that hit him Friday morning will come forward.

Jonathan Sheets said he was hit during the last mile of his 11.5 mile bike ride to work. He said he was snagged by the dump-style trailer of the big rig and violently tossed to the ground.

“[I] couldn’t see what kind of truck, just that it had a dump bed – [and] two other cars rolled by behind it, but no one stopped to help,” Sheets said.

Chesterfield police are treating the investigation as a hit-and-run since Sheets ended up with a 5-inch laceration to his left bicep that resulted in 120 stitches.

“I could see that it cut into my muscle,” Sheets said. “It kind of folded back up [and] I knew it was bad.”

This is yet another unfortunate incident for Sheets, who said he is behind on rent and that both his truck and car have broken down and are out of commission

And during Friday morning’s spill on the side of Jeff Davis Highway, his last vial of insulin was crushed under the weight of his fall.

“If it wasn’t for my doctor, I wouldn’t have been able to get any…” he said. “I’m behind on rent. I can’t pay for both.”

Sheets said what hurts even more than all of his misfortunes, is that no one stopped to help.

“I stopped one guy and showed him my laceration — and he said he couldn’t help me,” Sheets said.

So, while holding pressure to his wound and pushing his bike almost a mile more to work, Sheets called 911 once he got to work. Sheets, who is a heavy equipment operator, said he cannot afford to lose this job that he just landed a month ago.